Writing activities in the science classroom have great potential. Consider this science writing lesson in a middle school earth science course.
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Objectives:
Description: As part of a science unit on local geology, students select a rock that they observe carefully, using all five senses. They then write words and phrases based on their observations. After reading and thinking about their notes, they write an ode to their individual rock, beginning, "Oh, rock..." Procedures: Have students gather rocks as part of field trip, or bring in enough rocks from the local scene so that each student will have one to observe. 1. Stimulus All students have a rock on their desk. Discuss what the students can observe about a rock based on each of the senses. Have a student recorder write key words on the board or on chart paper, such as:
Have students fold a sheet of composition paper in thirds, labeling one section for each sense, and the sixth one entitled Other Ideas. Ask students to observe their rocks and to jot down notes about what they observe. 2. Activity: After have had time to observe and write notes, tell them that they can use their observation to write an ode to their rocks. Tell them that an ode is a song that begins, "Oh " and that is usually praises a person. The can begin their poem with "Oh rock...." and speak to their rock as a person, using personification. 3. Follow-up: After students have written for a while, have them read their poems to a partner. Partners can assist each other in adding ideas or revising the poem, as needed. Their poems might be something like this:
Oh, wonderful little gray rock, Bumpety, lumpety, and tough. You have tumbled down from the high mountain, You have survived the trampling of many rough feet, The crush of an automobile's wheels. I will give you an easier life now Perched on my bedroom windowsill. 4. Evaluation: Circulate around the room to observe student participation as they observe, write, and share. Have students determine criteria (scientific and poetic) for an especially good poem after they have shared, answering the question: What made some poems stand out as especially effective? Students can revise their poems based on the established criteria. Have students display the rock writing with rocks laid on a table or shelf. |
This lesson, which enables students to make connections between science process skills and writing is not the typical way in which students write in science classrooms. Unfortunately, creative writing, which can help students become successful science learners, is low on the priority list of "science writing assignments." Bulman reports that students spend between 11% - 20% of their time in science classrooms involved in writing activities. However, Bulman also reports that over half of the writing time is devoted to copying or taking dictated notes (Figure 2).
1st
year in high school 4th
year 1. Copying: copying
or dictated note-taking 2. Reference: making
notes from printed material. 3. Personal: essay
writing, writing in own way, diary, some project work,
reports of experiments. 4. Answering:
Answering worksheets, exercises, answering test and exam
questions. 0 29 25 19 8 17
What is the purpose of writing in the science curriculum? To improve the writing abilities of students in all subjects, many schools districts have implemented a concept known as "writing across the curriculum" in which subject matter teachers are given training and teaching materials to integrate writing into their subject. Any approach to integrate writing into the science classroom must take into consideration the goals of student writing in science. Bulman has suggested four goals:
1. to help the growth of understanding of science concepts2. to provide a record of concepts and activities that can be used for revision later
3. to provide feedback to the teacher on the growth of the students
4. to develop students' ability to communicate
How can these goals be achieved? What are some strategies that might help achieve these goals? In general, writing should be viewed as an integral part of the learning cycle that was presented in Chapter 7. Students need the opportunity to reflect on their thinking, and writing about their observations, inferences, hypotheses and conclusions is a powerful strategy. The strategies suggested below are designed to help students clarify and extend their thinking by having them write in a variety of forms. Five strategies are suggested: